Kelantan Cops Want Girls In Consensual Statutory Rape Cases Charged Too

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Kelantan police chief Yusoff Mamat suggested that girls involved in statutory rape cases should be charged alongside the adult male perpetrator.
ADSHe argued for the consideration of his proposal by saying nearly 90 percent of statutory rape cases are consensual, based on investigations.
“Currently, the existing law is more geared towards prosecuting men only, while investigations have found that in many cases, both parties are willing.
“When a report is made, we still have to open an investigation paper and charge the man according to the Penal Code or the Child Act, even if there is an admission that it was done consensually,” Sinar Harian quoted Yusoff (above) as telling a press conference at the Kelantan police headquarters today.
Yusoff was commenting on the increase in rape and other sex crimes in the state.
Last year, Bukit Aman’s Sexual, Women and Child Investigation Division principal assistant director Siti Kamsiah Hassan said the increase in statutory rape is believed to be due to grooming on social media.
The sexual grooming of children occurs through an adult gaining a vulnerable child's trust in order to make way for a sexual relationship.
Siti told Bernama that the majority of statutory rape victims told investigating officers that they got to know the perpetrator over social media before meeting them in person.
Bukit Aman’s Sexual, Women and Child Investigation Division principal assistant director Siti Kamsiah Hassan“This shows that these girls have undergone the grooming phase with greetings of ‘hai’ and other words of praise, which leads to the sending of nude photos by the girls.
“This is followed by the meeting phase, which results in these girls being raped, including by gangs,” she said.
Seeking effective measures
Commenting further, Yusoff said he will discuss the proposal with the Attorney-General's Chambers, Kelantan Islamic Religious Affairs Department and relevant parties to ensure fairer action can be taken.
“We do not want to prosecute arbitrarily, but rather want to find more effective ways of prevention.
“If the law allows action to be taken against both parties, cases like this can be curbed,” he said.
Currently, Yusoff said underage sexual offences are investigated under Section 376 of the Penal Code for rape and Section 14 of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017, with girls usually protected as victims.
He asserted that the proposal is aimed at providing a clear message to teenagers, ensuring that they do not involve themselves in such acts. - Mkini

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